The Mortal Menorah
by Princess Andromeda II
Summary: Simon, Jace, Clary, Isabelle, Alex, Magnus, Maia, and Jordan. Eight Mortal Instrument characters. Eight days of Hanukkah. The possibilities of potential mayhem to ensue are boundless. So read! And find out what will happen as Simon's friends experience what Hanukkah with a Jewish vampire is like. (First MI fic, please read, and be gentle!) ...CURRENTLY BEING REDONE AND EDITED...
1. Day 1

**Hi guys! So, I remembered that this week was Hanukkah, and I thought I'd like to write a Mortal Instruments fanfic to celebrate the occasion for all you Jewish MI readers out there. Please go easy on me, since this is actually my first MI fic, but most of all please just read and enjoy!**

 _Well..._

 _I have a little dreidel_

 _I made it out of clay_

 _And when it's dry and ready_

 _Then, dreidel I shall play._

"Simon, did you say something?"

Simon rolled his eyes. Honestly, sometimes Jace could be so lazy, considering how much energy he had when they fought in battle or killed demons. His friend, or enemy, or frenemy, or whatever he was, could slash through fifty demons in the amount of time it took for Simon to have his fangs bared, and literally be able to contain and control fire from _heaven_ inside of him. But good luck trying to get his lazy butt of the couch on a Saturday afternoon. Simon had tried, and he wasn't going anywhere.

So, ignoring his comrade lazily lounging on the couch in the other room, Simon went back to his decorating, and continued to hum the same little song that had somehow wormed its way into his mind.

 _Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel_

 _I made it out of clay_

 _And when it's dry and ready_

 _Then, dreidel I will play._

"Yo, Simon!" shouted Jace again. The vampire groaned; no wonder the Shadowhunter kept asking him. He'd forgotten that his kind tended to have natural advanced hearing, or maybe they had just trained themselves over time to pick up on small noises. But either way, the idea that Jace had probably been able to hear him humming slightly embarrassed him, more than he liked to admit.

But when Jace called for him again from his inclined position on the sofa- "What did you say, man?"- Simon chose to ignore him. He figured that if he didn't say anything in response, then the blonde-haired Shadowhunter would just drop it.

That was how it usually worked anyway, when one of them caught the other secretly scratching in a certain spot or trying to pick out a wedgie in a clandestine manner, usually what ensued was just a moment of eye contact that crackled with panic before one or the other gave a slight nod of reassurance, and was rewarded with a grateful smile. Then both boys would go on their way, and pretend like nothing had happened.

So, out of politeness, Simon waited a few moments before resuming his tune, and then he proceeded with ease and a slight caution, because he trusted in his and Jace's system- their "bro code", or something. But whatever it was, it benefited both of them, so Simon knew that Jace wouldn't screw it up now. At least, that was how it _usually_ worked.

 _It has a lovely body_

 _With legs so short and thin_

 _And when it gets all tired_

 _It drops and I will win._

"Whoa, dude, what kind of messed-up song is that?"

The voice, loud and booming, came directly behind Simon's left ear, and it belonged to none other than the famous (Simon preferred "infamous") Jace Herondale/Lightwood/Wayland/Morgernstern. (Seriously; that guy needed to drop a few of his last names. It overcomplicated the whole birth certificate thing _way_ too much.)

"'It has a lovely body'? Tsk tsk tsk. That's disgusting. 'With legs so short and thin'? Man, get over your obsession with legs, and don't call them 'gams'; that's lame. And the part about 'when it gets all tired, it drops and I will win'? Are you trying to rape this girl or what? Really, I expected better from you, Simon Lewis. Or, maybe I didn't, but I still didn't expect you to-"

Jace paused from his chronic pacing on the carpeted floor, his hands folded casually behind his back, long enough to look up at Simon. "Dude, what are you doing up there?"

Simon gulped, and looked down at Jace on the floor below him. It was a mortifying climb down from his terrified perch on the top bunk in his room, with the blonde boy's bemused eyes boring into him. The vampire could practically feel the tomato metamorphosis his skin tone was undergoing. The slight embarrassment he'd felt earlier was _nothing_ compared to the utter humiliation he was feeling because he overreacted when Jace scared him and he jumped on the bed.

"Hey, man," he said weakly.

Jace looked him over, an uncomfortable glance that went up and down. A scowl was set onto his face, so turned down at the edges that the corners almost seemed to touch. Simon figured he was about to slap him for acting like such a girl. He braced himself, closing one eye and an excruciating grimace taking over his face.

Then Jace burst out laughing, his frown turned completely upside-down. A gallant smile had lit up his face, and the sight was enough to draw up a tiny corner of Simon's mouth.

"Aw...man," said Jace, his crazed laughter coming to a halt. "That was the _best_ reaction ever." He chuckled again. "And I wasn't even _trying_ to scare you! Hah! And- no way, are you still _blushing_? Aw, you're not embarrassed, are you man?"

Simon nodded, that same uncomfortable grimace back on his face. Even the slight movement of his head when it bobbed practically screamed "painful humiliation."

"I'm pretty sure a blush this bad counts as a sunburn, which isn't such a good thing for vampires," he wailed, and Jace cracked another grin.

"No worries," he said with that carefree attitude, that the vampire both loathed and admired. "Your secret is safe with me." He made a motion like locking up his lips and throwing away the key. Simon just rolled his eyes.

"So, what were you humming anyway?" Jace asked with a mild hint of curiosity in his voice, as he leaned casually on the oak desk in Simon's room. "Sounded pretty spicy, or at least the verse _I_ heard did."

"Oh...it's nothing," Simon said, slightly abashed. This was a different kind of embarrassment than before; this was more personal.

"Didn't sound like nothing," said Jace with a slight frown. "In fact, it sounded a little familiar. Let's see, is it the one that goes:

 _Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel_

 _I made it out of clay_

 _And when it's dry and ready_

 _Then, dreidel I will play._

"Is it that one?" he asked, a small trace of the thoughtful expression still stuck on his face.

Simon stared at him, his mouth agape. "How on Earth do you know 'I Have A Little Dreidel'?" he asked, his astonishment more than evident.

The blonde Shadowhunter shrugged nonchalantly, as if it wasn't a big deal that Mr. Religious knew something about Simon's religion.

"Not sure. I picked it somewhere, maybe at a party when I was younger, but I just kinda remember it. Why?"

If the vampire thought his mouth had reached its maximum drop-level, boy was he wrong.

"Why? I'll tell you why! That was song co-written by Samyel S. Grossman and Samuel E. Goldfarb- yes, there names were both Samuel. Me and my family play it all the time around the Hanukkah season. I grew up with it, so I love it. And...it just so happens that it's like the best Hanukkah song ever written!"

Jace blinked at him for a moment, his eyes slightly glazed over. Simon was still panting a little. Then, the Shadowhunter broke out of his trance, and said, "Dude, you celebrate Hanukkah?"

Simon nearly smacked his forehead. He took off his glasses slowly, which he still wore sometimes for comfort even though he didn't need them, and cleaned them meticulously. Then, he placed them carefully back on his head, and let out a deep sigh.

"Are you serious? I'm Jewish. Of course I celebrate Hanukkah." _Duh_.

"Well...yeah," said Jace, somewhat defensively, "I knew you were Jewish, but you never decorate or anything, so I thought you were the non-holiday type."

"The non-holiday type? What does that even mean?"

Jace shrugged. Simon sighed.

Dead silence.

"Can you sing the next verse?"

"What?" said Simon.

"I said, can you sing the next verse? I wanna hear the rest of the song."

Simon, somewhat confused, nodded numbly, and rang out:

 _My dreidel is so playful_

 _It loves to dance and spin_

 _A happy game of dreidel_

 _Come play now, let's begin._

Jace grinned, and then he clapped. A slightly embarassed smile on his face, Simon bent over and bowed dramatically, waving his hands at "the crowd", which consisted only of Jace, who hooted and hollered for all his worth.

"Last part is just the chorus again," hinted Simon, as he offered an invisible mic to Jace. "Wanna make this part of the show a duet?"

Another blinding white smile on his face, Jace nodded, and both boys stood up on top of Simon's desk, dancing, rocking, and singing their hearts out as their high and low voices joined together in a screeching, off-key rendition of the chorus in "I Have A Little Dreidel":

 _Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel_

 _I made it out of clay_

 _And when it's dry and ready_

 _Then, dreidel I will play_

"Well, well, well," said a musical voice from the doorway. "What have we here?"

 **Well, guys, please tell me what you think. I plan to add a chapter for each day of Hanukkah this week, so please follow and favorite if you'd like to see more. Also, PLEASE review, because I'm not sure if all the terms and/or traditions I talked about were correct, so if you're Jewish and you celebrate Hanukkah, PLEASE HELP ME. And if you're not Jewish but you'd still like to help me out, tell me what you'd like to see in the upcoming chapters. Also, should I change the title of this story? (Cuz, let's be honest, the title sucks.) If so, what should I change it to? Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Have a wonderful evening, and happy Hanukkah!**

 **Love,**

 **~Princess Andromeda II**


	2. Day 2

**Hello everyone! Thanks for returning for Chapter 2, even when that first chapter sucked. Special thank-you to MadBooksHatter01 and CaraClaire for reviewing, and to MadBooksHatter01 for favoriting this story as well. I appreciate y'alls support SO much, I really do. Everyone else, please enjoy this chapter, and PM me if you have any helpful ideas! Thanks!**

"Well, well, well," said a musical voice from the doorway. "What have we here?"

An expression that was embarrassment magnified tenfold passed between Jace and Simon, and their eyes flitted back and forth nervously.

"Uh, hey Clary," said Simon with a slight stutter.

The redhead offered the brunette nothing more than a blank stare, so he just climbed down from his position on top of the desk, wringing his hands anxiously. Jace followed suit, and gave a go at getting some type of response out of his girlfriend.

"'Hi, sweetie." The edges of his warm smile, when it was met with nothing more than numbness, slowly drooped, and his mouth wilted into what could only be classified as a certified grimace. Still, he was brave enough to try another tactic: diversion. "You're home early. How was your day?"

"Jace," Clary said with a soft sigh, and although it was a fairly gentle sound, the chink in the armor of deafening silence was enough to make the teenage boys jump backwards in alarm.

"What?" she said with an obviously confused look. "I'm not gonna bite, I swear. Don't worry, I only stab demons," she supplied as she breezed past both boys into the kitchen. When they both followed her on her tail, she whirled around, baring her "fangs", her seraph blad out and ready for action.

"GAH!" screamed Simon.

"BWAH!" screamed Jace.

"HAH!" laughed Clary. She bent over, her shoulders shaking and her hands on her knees. The room was dead-silent except for the still recovering, pounding beats of Simon and Jace's hearts, and the barely audible, gasping laugh of Clary.

"That was _hilarious_ ," she wheezed as she wiped away a tear. "Oh boy. That was great. I wish you guys could have seen your reactions."

Both boys nearly pinned themselves to the wall as she walked past, heading towards the sink to wash her hands. Simon's eyes followed her the whole way, his face a knotted facade of suspicion. She must have seen his expression as she passed, her maybe his gaze was so intense and vigilant that she could feel his brown eyes boring into the back of her head, but either way, her voice carried easily over her shoulder as she called to them both: "Don't worry, I won't' try to scare you again."

Wiping her hands on the towel, she turned around casually leaned against the countertop, the towel now sopping wet and slung over her shoulder. Simon couldn't help but think how much she looked like her mom right then.

"Or will I?..." she said mischievously as she wiggled her fingers at them, causing small drops of water to flick onto their clothing. Even that little action was enough to slightly flinch, which, unfortunately for them, did not go unnoticed by Clary.

"Jeez, you guys are jumpy today, huh?"

"Yeah, well, you kind of gave us this terrifying, scathing look when you first walked in here, so try not to blame us too much, alright?" Said Jace, who had seemingly gotten his "mojo" back. Simon was still recovering from the small drop of water that clung to his shirt. Hey, he'd never been the macho one in their friend group.

"Anyway, Jace, I gotta talk to Simon for a sec, so..." Clary motioned towards her and Simon, making the "shoo" motion to Jace.

"Oh, ok, well go ahead."

The blonde Shadowhunter received identical looks of incredulity from his girlfriend and his...acquaintance.

 _Is he serious?_ thought Simon. Usually he considered himself to be the dunce one, so either Jace was having an unusually off day, or he was pretending to be dumb for the sake of being stubborn and annoying Clary. If that was his plan, then it was working, because an annoyed look began to brew on the surface of the redhead's face, like a hurricane forming over stormy waters.

"I mean, I need to talk to him _alone_ ," she said, stressing the last syllable and nodding her head at Jace. It looked like a situation that you might find in a kindergarten classroom, except hopefully the teacher wouldn't be this perturbed by the student. Even if the student was this dumb.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Go right ahead. Nobody else is around."

An unreadable expression sat rooted on Jace's face, like a mask that was difficult to see through, or a book that was impossible to read. Simon still couldn't crack the code: was Jace really this stupid?

"JACE." Clary spoke through gritted teeth, and Simon figured that even Jace wasn't clueless enough to miss the annoyance radiating behind the words. "GO. AWAY."

Then, fearing that she'd been too rough with her boyfriend, Clary blew a small kiss to Jace, which he "caught" as he walked out of the room, also flashing a casual peace-sign at them.

His suave nature still astounded Simon sometimes.

"Now, Simon," said Clary as she turned to him, giving him her full attention.

The vampire gulped, and tried to swallow down the lump that was forming in his throat. He was terrified that she would tell him he'd done something wrong, _again_ , since it always seemed like he was screwing things up: getting himself turned into a rat at Magnus's party, getting himself turned into a vampire at the Hotel Dumort, getting himself nearly killed while he and Jace were trapped on that ship... The list, which Simon had been mentally writing for a number of years now, went on for miles.

"Look, you didn't do anything wrong," she clarified, noticing his obviously tense posture. "I just wanted to talk to you about Hanukkah this year."

When Simon didn't say anything, only looked at her with a blatantly confused look on his face, she decided that it was best to go on.

"Well, it's just that, in the past, you've always celebrated Hanukkah with your mom and your sister. But, I know this year, your mom is on that trip in Montana with her cousin's family, and Rebecca is staying at the university's campus..."

Again, she gained no comprehensible reaction from him other than a mouth, slightly agape, and a slow blink of the eyes. So, again, she continued, seemingly struggling to say what she wanted to.

"It's just, that since all of us are here in this house together, and there's so much room..." She groaned, seemingly exasperated and frustrated with herself.

"Well...why don't we have a Hanukkah party?" she blurted out.

 **Urg. Bad ending, I know. I just couldn't figure out how to end it. PLEASE leave me a review, and help me figure out what to do for the other chapters! I want to bring a new character in for each chapter, but I don't really know what to do with it. So if you have any ideas, ANY ideas at all, please just tell me, and I would be so unbelievably grateful. So, to recap: review, favorite, follow, go!**

 **Have a wonderful day, and happy Hanukkah!**

 **Love,**

 **~Princess Andromeda II**


	3. Day 3

**Hi! Thank you for returning for Part 3 of this little story. I really appreciate those two nameless guests who reviewed last chapter; seriously, your reviews were awesome. Please review again, so I can know what to do with this story! Anyway, read on, and enjoy!**

"Well...why don't we have a Hanukkah party?"

Dead silence.

Then:

"I-" said Simon, opening his mouth to answer Clary's question, when he was suddenly interrupted by a very loud, _very_ obnoxious voice that came from behind him.

"Did somebody say PARTY?"

Clary's eyes widened as she saw the person who the voice belonged to, and Simon groaned loudly as he closed his eyes and let his head fall back in frustration.  
"Hello, Magnus," he sighed. He turned around slowly, dreading confronting the reality that he already knew was true.

And in swept Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn, who always came dressed to impress. On this particular occasion (which was of no real significance), the warlock was sporting nothing less than a bright pink, sparkly suit, complete with a shining top hat and a bedazzled cane. His shoes were polished enough to blind a bald eagle, and Simon had no doubt in his mind that if he were to lift up the warlock's pant leg, he would see a sock so studded in rhinestones, that it would make the Milky Way pale in comparison.

"Hello, vampire," Magnus said curtly, his lip raised in a slight sneer, casually leaning on his not-so-casual cane for support. His eyebrow was quirked up in an odd manner, one that was as cryptic as Clary's deadpan expression. Then, in an obvious change of emotion, the warlock turned to Clary and greeting her warmly with a hug and saying, "Hello, my dear. It's nice to see you again."

"Hi, Magnus," she chuckled as she returned the embrace. Simon couldn't help himself from rolling his eyes.

"So, am I crazy, or did I just hear someone utter my favorite word?"

"No, you're right, I did suggest that we hold a Hanukkah party for Simon, just as you walked in," explained Clary.

"Although you _are_ plenty crazy," Simon muttered under his breath, but somehow, he thought the warlock heard him, from the way his fiery eyes darted over to him and flared up like an unkempt flame. The Jewish vampire felt his blood, although it was already extremely cool, freeze over in his veins. There was no telling what a warlock as powerful as Magnus Bane could do to an inexperienced vampire like Simon if he really wanted to. Thankfully, though, Magnus was a friend of Clary's, who was a friend of Simon's, so the two males were somewhat of friends to each other. And, also fortunately, Magnus decided not to say and/or do anything about Simon's little remark.

"So, Simon," said Clary as she turned to look at him. "How about it? A big- or small- Hanukkah get-together with all of us here at the house. We don't have to invite anyone over, really. Except for you, Magnus, of course," she added as an afterthought, nodding graciously at him with a slight incline of her head. Magnus nodded back in return.

"That is, if the whole idea is alright with you, Simon," she said anxiously.

Simon was surprised to hear that tone in her voice. It didn't really seem like something she would care about. After all, she wasn't deeply religious, and even if she was, she would most likely be some denomination of Christianity. So the fact that Clary was taking such a deep personal interest in his holiday was, quite frankly, a little suspicious.

"Sure," he still found himself saying, despite the bizarreness of the situation. "I think that'd be great. And yes, Magnus," he said, turning with a wry grin to the warlock, "you _can_ come. You are officially invited, as of this moment."

Magnus chuckled, sort of a haughty laugh that said "Yeah, I knew you'd invite me, but even if you didn't, I'd still show up anyway." Somehow, it was charming on him, although that might have been a side effect of the subtle wink that Magnus sent his way.

Simon wondered what in the world that was all about.

"It would be an honor to attend," he said in a regal tone, a tone which made Simon smirk. It was just about the most "posh" thing that you could possibly say. His smirk only widened when Magnus lowered himself in a low bow- he actually _bowed,_ something he didn't know actually existed in the modern, real world- and swept his glittering top hat off of his head with a grand flourish. "And my pleasure to assist you in any way I possibly can."

 _What a drama queen_ , thought Simon with slight bemusement.

"That's terrific. And, as a matter of fact," Clary said, drawing Simon's focus away from his enormous smirk and towards the sound of her voice. She was always one of his top priorities, no matter what. "I think we'll need your assistance anyway. I don't think we would mind your help at all, _would we Simon_?"

She gave him a glare filled with a warning that Simon would have to have been both blind _and_ deaf to miss the meaning. _Don't you dare say 'yes'_.

"No, of course not," he said, then he frowned, confused by what she was saying. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that..." She gestured around the room, but her gesticulations didn't exactly help her find the right words. "This is a pretty big house, even for several teenagers to live in, don't you think?" She didn't wait for him to confirm it. "So, if we're gonna decorate for the party, then-"

"Wait wait wait. Slow down for one second," instructed Simon, holding up his hand. It seemed like such a teacher thing to do, but he couldn't help it. "Just _how big_ is this party going to be?"

Clary shrugged, not quite meeting his eyes. "Oh, just a few people, y'know." She suddenly seemed very interested in the tiled kitchen floor and its zig-zaggy mosaic pattern.

"'Just a few people'?" She nodded. "Well, how many people is 'just a few'?"

"You know what?" Magnus butted in. Simon had almost forgotten he was in this conversation, let alone the room. He'd been so quiet. Unusually quiet for the hyper warlock... "What does it matter? The number of people won't affect the size of this house!"

"Yeah, but-" Simon protested, but Magnus cut him off.

"No 'but's' about it. Don't worry about the number of people who are coming. Clary can take care of that, right Clary?"

A strange look seemed to pass through them. It wasn't that Simon saw the actual expression on each of their faces, but he just got that feeling when they looked each other that they were exchanging more than just eye contact; they were trading thoughts. Thoughts that were invisible to him, and therefore incomprehensible.

Still, Simon decided not to push it. It probably wasn't any of his business anyway.

" _Right_ ," she said slowly, nodding her head at the same pace as she kept her eyes trained on Magnus. "In fact, I"ll go get started on the guest list right away."

"The guest list?!" Simon exclaimed. "Well, it's a Hanukkah party, and I'm the Jewish one here, so don't you think that maybe I should be the one to decide who's coming?"

"Pish posh," declared Clary.

 _Whatever that means_ , thought Simon.

"The guest list is always the woman's job, and I'm the more social one out of the two of us." Simon couldn't tell is she was purposefully or accidentally excluding Magnus, considering he was the guy that gave the "raddest" parties in this part of the country.

"Besides," Clary called over her shoulder as she walked away. "You've got to help Magnus decorate."

"Decorate!" cried Simon. "What kind of decorating?"

But Clary was gone, off to go invite some random guests, so she didn't answer. Slowly, dreading the outcome of this situation, which was destined to be nothing less than a disaster, Simon turned to face the warlock who was smiling like a madman with his top hat forged from sparkles.

"Glitter," he breathed, rubbing his hands together evilly. "Lots and lots of glitter."

 **BWAHAHA, Magnus and his glitter. Whatever shall happen? Only way is to wait patiently til tomorrow, and to REVIEW! Seriously, please tell me what you guys want with this story, cuz I'm just stumbling around blindly in the dark at the moment. Anyway, thanks for reading, please review, and I hope to see ya tomorrow. :)**

 **Have a great day as always, and happy Hanukkah!**

 **Love,**

 **~Princess Andromeda II**


	4. Day 4

"Glitter. Lots and lots of glitter."

" _Glitter_? Really Magnus? _Really?_ " Simon groaned, and it was a long, obnoxious groan that reverberated around the house, echoing through the nearly-empty rooms and bouncing off of the corners.

"Fine," he said, putting as much indignation and annoyance into the word as he can. He felt a bit like a little kid as he said, the kind of bratty children that he grimaced at whenever he saw them out in public, their moms trying to corral them and juggle the groceries. He was being just as nettling and tiresome as those kids, and here he was, a guy in his late teens. He shouldn't be acting like this, especially since Magnus was being so generous about helping him out.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," he quickly mumbled the apology under his breath, as if slightly ashamed of himself.

Magnus grinned with satisfaction. "I thought so. Come on, let's head to my place to grab some decorations."

"Um...okay," he drawled out slowly. "But don't you think we should tell Clary first? We don't want her to think she's all alone in the house."

"No, no, it's fine," protested Magnus. "Clary's a smart girl, she'll figure it out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, trust me."

"I know but..."

" _Simon_ ," stressed the warlock, pressing his hands to his eyes in annoyance. "She's tough, she'll be able to take care of herself if anything happens."

"'If anything happens'? What do you mean? What would happen to Clary?"

Magnus looked up suddenly, a peculiar look on his face that Simon couldn't identify. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing would happen. Let's just go, okay?"

"Okay, but first-" Simon started, but was interrupted abruptly.

"Simon!" Magnus nearly shouted. "I said don't worry about it!"

"-I need to use the bathroom," he managed to finish.

"Oh." The warlock at least had the decency to look slightly abashed as a strawberry blush nudged its way onto his cheek. "Well, uh, you can just go at my place. We've already wasted too much time here."

Simon frowned, and rubbed his head. "Wasted time? Magnus, I don't think that-"

"Come on, hurry up!" said Magnus, cutting him off again as he pushed him out the door, nearly causing him to trip on the front step of his, Clary's, Jace's, Jace's, Maia's, Isabelle's, and Alex's collective house. Out they went, and they were met with quite a sight:

A humongous pickup trick seemingly the size of a baby elephant was parked in the driveway, right underneath the row of maple trees. It was magenta in color- which is a crime in and of itself for a pickup truck like that- and covered in so many sparkles that it looked like a whole league of preschoolers had gone to town on the thing.

Simon's jaw dropped when he saw it, and though he tried to force it close, it stubbornly refused to budge; it just kept hanging.

"This...this is your _car_?!" he cried, walking towards it slowly, dazed, as if in an unpleasant dream and he desperately wanted to wake up. In other words, Magnus Bane's car was a truck-lovin, teenage vampire's worst nightmare.

Magnus looked shocked. "This? This is nothing!"

Still looking at the automobile as if he'd seen a ghost, Simon uttered, "Sure doesn't look like 'nothing' to me."

The warlock chuckled lightly, running his hand through his dark, sleek hair. "Yeah, well, you should see the limo I've got parked in the back of my garage. That thing's a beauty."

Simon really didn't want to see his friend's limo. If Magnus could take something as macho as a pickup truck and turn it into a five-year-old's daydream, then he _definitely_ didn't want to see what he could do to a sleek, white limo. No doubt the limo's sole purpose in life was to allow Magnus to travel "in style" when he was visiting in downtown L.A., cruising down Hollywood Boulevard in his glimmer monstrosity.

"No thanks," he muttered as he, somewhat begrudgingly, climbed into the car. "I think I'll pass."

Laughing at his reaction, Magnus pulled out of the driveway, and it took them only a few minutes to arrive at the warlock's fancy apartment. When they pulled up, Simon hopped out of the Magenta Mobile as quickly as he could, afraid he'd vomit from the terribleness of it all.

"Oh please," sighed Magnus as he followed Simon into his apartment building, swinging his keys with a jaunty step. "No need to pretend you're macho when you're around me."

This embarrassed Simon, more than he liked to admit, but nonetheless, he didn't comment, and only followed the warlock upstairs and into his apartment.

"I can't recall, but have you ever been to my apartment before?" Magnus asked with nonchalant curiosity as he unlocked the door. His hands handled the keys surprisingly slow, considering he'd been so insistent upon hurrying to his apartment to grab the decorations.

"Uh...no. Maybe. Yes. Well, no, I don't think I have," Simon said, still confused.

"Well, prepare for the experience of a lifetime," Magnus said with a grin. And a wicked one at that.

Furrowing his brow, the vampire stepped inside of the apartment, Magnus holding the door open for him with that peculiar grin on his face and a terrifying glint in his eyes. Considering he was a vampire and well-adapted to dark situations, it took Simon a moment to realize that the inside of Magnus's apartment was pitch-black, not a light on in the entire house.

"Hey, Magnus, I think your power's out."

He turned to look at the warlock, but he was gone. Disappeared.

Without stepping into the hall: "Magnus?"

The door slammed behind Simon with a resonating bang. It locked with a certifying click, just for good measure.

Before he could even try to force the door open, a low voice that curdled Simon's blood sounded out into the darkness.

"Welcome, Simon Lewis."


End file.
